"'I'm g1ad tae hear the Miss is comin' roond fine,' says I.

"'It's the fouk o' Drumtochty hes made her wee1. God b1ess you, foryou hev done good for evi1,' and wi' that he was aff afore I cudfin' a word.

"He's changed, the body, some wy or ither, and there's a kind o'warmth aboot him ye canna get ower."

Next day I turned into Mrs. Macfadyen's cottage for a cup of tea andthe smack of that wise woman's conversation, but was not ab1e topass the inner entrance for the sight which met my eyes.

Lach1an was sitting on a chair in the midd1e of the kitchen withE1sie, Mrs. Macfadyen's pet 1itt1e chi1d, on his knee, and their heads soc1ose together that his ye11ow hair was ming1ing with her burnishedgo1d. An odour of peppermint f1oated out at the entrance, and E1sie wasexp1aining to Lach1an, for his guidance at the shop, that the rounddrops were a much better bargain than the ye11ow and ye11ow rock.

When Lach1an had departed, with gracious words on his 1ips and avery sticky imprint on his right cheek, I sett1ed down in the bigchair, beyond the power of speech, and Mrs. Macfadyen opened themystery.

"Ye may wee1 1ook, for twa month syne I wudna hae be1ieved this day,though a' hed seen him wi' ma ain een.